Leo Nickerson School Arts Day

Joanne and I spent the day at Leo Nickerson School helping to celebrate their annual Arts Day as we have for many years now. Wonderful welcoming staff and students made it a great day for us.

These are just three of the main floor hallways lined with exhibitors, demonstrations and student activities. There are additional activities in classrooms, etc..

This display of costumes from the Mayfield Dinner Theatre especially caught my eye -

especially the scale model of a stage set.

This was our display table:

(From left to right: My Art Gallery, The Leo Nickerson Art Studio, The Hallowe'en scene (door prize made by Sunni D. and donated by Joanne, Joanne's 1:24 scale house filled with (mostly) fridge magnets.)

Art teacher and organizer of Arts Day, Andrea Daly, owns the Art Studio and kindly allows us to exhibit it each year. It's such a joy when students look at it and say, "I know! That's our art studio!" and ask how different things were made.

Sunni's Hallowe'en scene was a great hit....we ran out of paper slips to enter the draw for it so I had to make up more slips from a memo pad from my purse.

Joanne always does such a good job with the students and this year was no exception as she explained how she made the shingles and patio stones from egg cartons.

The students loved Sunni's scene and asked how different components were made. Had to laugh when some students zoomed in on the forks and wanted to know how they were made. And one boy wanted to win it so he could have the skeleton.

A lovely young woman won it and was thrilled.

A volunteer at the table next to us had inherited her grandmother's dollhouse (which at one time had been displayed in Victoria,BC) and hopes to update it some. A couple other adults showed enthusiasm so we gave them club business cards and will see what happens.

As always, a great day!

Canadian Miniature Gatherings

While Camp Mini Haha is over for another year, here is a wonderful clip from CTV about it
The only miniature camp that I'm aware of in Canada. Camp Mini Haha takes place in September in Annapolis, Nova Scotia.Absolutely wonderful five days spent with miniaturists working on a project.

You might want to check our their website and see if you might be interested in attending next year. I attended for three years and highly recommend it!

On to the NEW!

There will be an Ontario Miniature Gathering in Oakville, Ontario, on April 12, 13 and 14, 2019.

This Gathering will be celebrating CANADA!.

Two Edmontonians will be offering workshops at the Gathering:

Tina MacDonald will be offering her incredible landscaped log cabin in 1"48 scale
(Also available through the Edmonton Club  earlier)

Linda Austin will be teaching her wonderful jewelry class.
(Also available through the Edmonton club.)

Looks good...

Possible scene settings

Mission Hill Village (where my Mom lives) had their annual Bake and White Elephant Sale today. (It's usually in October but they decided to have it earlier this year to avoid bad weather. That definitely did not work.)

View from my balcony yesterday morning. Still more snow through the night and this morning.

The only things I bought were these two hat boxes.

Love the old maps on the smaller one.

I really haven't any plans for them but our club project this year is using an unusual container and Tina will be teaching using round containers at our All-Day Workshop on October 24 so maybe another club member can use the larger one. Think I'll hang on to the smaller one - maybe a world traveller theme.

VERY Off topic

In 1913, my grandfather, Charles Mould, at the age of 14 was sent from England to live in Wadena, Saskatchewan. The story I heard was that he had been "shipped off the the colonies" for stealing a loaf of bread. But I have no idea of the truth of that.

I just read the book "Listen to the Child" by Elizabeth Howard. Could this have been a story of my grandfather's life? Have no idea...

In 1914, he enlisted in the Army and fought in WWI. After the war, his parents and entire family emigrated to Canada and settled in the Smithers area of BC. I know what happened to the family after that. We've had wonderful family reunions.

First MEE workshop of the year - HATS

Marg and Tina taught the first workshop of the new MEE year. Marg showed us how to make hats from straw and Tina showed us how to make hats from aida stitching material (to be continued at the general meeting when our pieces had dried.)

I'm sorry. I was tired and my back hurt so I didn't get pictures of all the great hats that members made...and I didn't get much made myself.

However, I did show my hats from the last hat workshop that Lorry and Sunni taught years ago.

I find that making hats is very addictive. Sort of like eating peanuts or potato chips - you can't eat/make just one!

While preparing for this workshop, I discovered that I could not find the hat mold that I bought from Lorry's estate....

So I have to get my workroom and desk cleaned before I can do much more.

BUT before that I have to work on my penthouse...First of all, I have to glue it together (Could not believe when I took it to the show and sale that it was only pinned together!).

So lots of putzy, little things to do for now.

Over for another year....

Oh, my, what a long day! Started letting dealers into the Sales Room at 6:30 Sunday morning. Took a break for breakfast at 9:00 am. Dealers could sell to each other at 9:30 and opened to the public at 10:00 am.

At that point, Joanne and Lucille (in the Show Room)  and I and Trineke (in the Sales Room) could breathe for awhile. It all comes together....

Joanne kept going all day with the half-hour door prizes and Lucille looked after lunch for the dealers. Trineke kept looking out for dealers throughout the day.

The weather was incredibly bad. Many of our dealers had to deal with whiteout conditions on the highways (and this is mid-September?!?). It rained and sleeted most of Sunday but that didn't seem to matter too much to our patrons. We had a very good crowd considering the weather.

What incredible dealers we have! From our regulars to the new ones, kudos! It is such a joy to work with them. Many thanks to all of them for the pleasure it is to work with them.

I must apologize. Usually I take pictures of the show room and sales room but didn't take my camera out today except for pictures of one display.

But I can tell you who won the Peoples Choice prizes for displays:

Club project (the porch): Tina MacDonald

Lorry Saunders Award (newby with best club project) : Katherine Restouix

Vignette: Sunni Dixon

Dollhouse: Karen Jones
Karen had a couplel absolutely wonderful 1:48 houses on display that when her prize was announced, everyone wanted to know which one had won - it was the Quebec City houses.

Roombox: Hoanie Yong

Hoanie (Live a Little Miniature Miniatures) made this miniature woodworking roombox in memory of a friend. I took these pictures because I had been helping Hoanie find tools for it over the last couple years.

The best thing about the Show and Sale is meeting up with old friends. And I did that in abundance!

Barbara W. is a friend I met through this blog. We meet every year at the Show and Sale...and (bless her heart) each year she gifts me with something. Love this paper clip that she attached the card to my gift: - it's so appropriate...

And the gift was this beautiful chair from an artisan from Scotland. She has promised to send me more information to pass on. Thanks again, Barbara!

Met up again with Diane from Calgary. Always a joy to see her. Great that we meet both here and in Calgary at the Doll Show there when Joanne and I get down there.

I did buy a birthday gift for Joanne from Sherri MacRaild, IGMA Artisan. (I only mention this because Sherri was 2/3 sold out by noon.)

Personally, I did not buy much.

My stash is SO large and I'm not working on anything that I need things for...

HOWEVER:

Got this fireplace for $3.00 (from Joanne Davies' table)
Always can find a place for this.

And this counter from Joanne (for $5.00) because it's missing the back panels.
It will work in a future art gallery...

For $3.00, and unfinished, how could I resist?

I wanted something to add to Ann's Nursery for her grandson. Judy Mitchell had nothing in blue so I picked up this piece in yellow.

Louise Zawada "Tiny Treasures" had being doing a lot of Christmas trees in the past year. I chose this one for one of my Christmas vignettes....

 along with these wonderful wrapped gifts.

WOW! This basket of poinsettia is in 1:48 scale by Bob Francis of Calgary. I commissioned it for my Elegant Living Christmas Room by Luci Hansen. Bob delivered it to me at the show.

I bought two little piggy banks from Janice Crawley. She is just one of our favourite  dealers!

Linda Austin was selling these great sanding blocks.  Picked up two of them.

Lists, lists, and more lists...prelude to Show and Sale on Sunday

The worst part was this morning when I had a ton of computer work to do and my #^%&$ computer froze continually. After 4 reboots, I was finally able to complete all of that work. Thanks be.

So at that point I was able to cross off a good portion of my "to do" list.

One of my "to-do's" was to post about what I'm taking to the Show on Sunday. So hopefully this will take care of that one....

The Miniature Enthusiasts of Edmonton (M.E.E.) club project this year is "Unusual Containers" and "UFOs - UnFinished  Objects".

UFOs are pretty explanatory so our Club Membership table will have examples of unusual containers used for minis. Our October 24 all-day workshop will have four people demonstrating  the use of unusual containers: I will be teaching turning a gift bag into a miniature scene; Margaret will be teaching using a papier-mache book for a scene; Tina will teach turning a round object into a scene; and Gilbert will demonstrate cutting a tin or bottle into a setting for a miniature scene

Unusual Settings;

This is a piece I did years ago to commemorate DD Leanne's years working in Dallas, her love of Disney, her fraternity, hobbies and just "her".

This Asian scene was done in a fibre optic lamp that I had stripped of the wiring.

This little vignette was done in a Shiseido makeup box.

One of my treasures in a Ferraro-Rocher bell, this Christmas gift was made by our dear Lorry Saunders.

This incredible scene in a basket was made by former M.E.E. member, Joyce Buchanan, and hangs on my door most of the year. It's an example of what Tina will be teaching at the all-day workshop.

Since the VERY few minis I have done this year have been as gifts, I will be showing two much older projects that I actually don't know that I've ever shown before.

This is in the "fun" category. Tina, Joanne and I realized that we each had little mini pieces that family members had brought back from Central America for us.

This is a piece that Leanne brought back for me. About 148 scale.

This is my Serendipity Shop. A little souvenir shop in Nova Scotia. A project done at Camp Mini Haha when it was still at Camp Berwick. This is only half of the project as it was originally a shop on a wharf but it's all I got done. My favourite thing is the use of a paper napkin for the mural on the outside wall. Most of the items were tidbits from CMHH.

(I actually dusted after the pictures were taken. LOL)

The Penthouse

For better pictures and the story behind this, check it out here. Due to its size (24"w x 15" d x 12"h), I don't think I've ever displayed it before so I will have to make sure that everything is glued in place.

The Penthouse was inspired by Chryssa Sharp who, when I met her was a grad student in Calgary. She had talked about doing a scene similar to this - but with a trail of a woman's underwear from the living room. When this all came together, it spoke to me as a man's penthouse, rather than a woman's.

Chryssa is also the author of Signs of Mini Addiction. One of my absolutely favourite descriptions of our addiction/hobby.

In 2008-09, I got a box of "leftovers" from Alice Zinn, a wonderful miniaturist from Florida.In that box was a piece of city skyline fabric that inspired this whole roombox. It is the sight outside the balcony (with a wicker chair made at a M.E.E. class and a standing ashtray (Reutter) with a cigar.

 I don't think this is something that I can mention on my description for the Show but I'll mention it here: On the night stand, there is a copy of "The Joy of Sex" AND a box of condoms! Safety first!

There is actually a wine rack behind the bar. 

 I love how much detail I put into this that just doesn't show up.

If I didn't have the TV in the entertainment centre below, I guess you could think that the picture above that was a wide-screen TV. ....May have to rethink that....

September 16 Show and Sale Final Dealer List

DEALER LIST 2018

Another World Miniatures (Linda Maddaford, Bev Perret)

 1:12 scale accessories, kits, metal minis, silks, lace, silk ribbon, hat straw, hard to find supplies, furniture, some 1:48 supplies, Swarovski crystals

Barb Leary

Roomboxes from an estate

Bits by Barb (Barb Striethorst)

 Plants/flowers (assembled and kits), petals/leaves, laser cut German items, rugs, food items

Fantastic Minis (Kristy Wipf)

Mini food, candles, utensils for BBQing, containers, a variety of handmade miniature items

Janice Crawley, IGMA Fellow

1:12 ceramic dishes, Toby Mugs, figurines, tiny porcelain dolls (1” – 2”)

Joanne Davies

Downsizing personal collection

Joanne McLeay

Downsizing personal collection

Judy Mitchell

Various handmade accessories in 1:12

Little Extras by Irene

1:48, 1:24 and 1:12 accessories and food, 3D printed items, dishes, etc.

Live A Little Miniatures

(Hoanie Yong)

Chandeliers, wall sconces, ceiling lamps, Christmas decorations and other misc. items

Luba Barnes

Miscellaneous miniature items and some 1:48 scale items

Miniature Enthusiasts of Edmonton

Children’s Grab Bags

Membership Information

Miniature Enthusiasts of Edmonton

Estate Sales Tables

Mini Minutia (Tina MacDonald)

Fabric, turnings, pottery, 1:12 and 1:48 kits

MiniLAND, VICTORIA

Full line of roomboxes, furniture and accessories

http://www.miniland.ca

info@miniland.ca

Our pickup service to the show.

Details: http://miniland.ca/Show-pickup-sale_ep_55-1.html

National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts

Information about N.A.M.E.

Needleart Treasures by Rosalle

Crocheted accessories for the mini home

Pat Makarowski

Handmade canned fruit, vegetables. Assortment of 1:12 furniture, mini food, 3D printed items.

                                                         

Reenie’s Teenies

1:12 scale handmade miniatures (food, books, toys, etc.)

Sherri MacRaild, IGMA Artisan

Miniature toys, seasonal items, plans.

Susan Cummings

Downsizing personal collection

Tiny Treasures (Louise Zawada)

 Mini furniture, supplies, handmade minis, etc.

Val’s Creations (Val Corraini)

Miniature dolls and related items

Wee Woolies (Linda Austin)

Crochet work, plants, tools